SECTION A (ACTIVITY 2)
Equipment
Figure it out for yourself, my lad,
You've all that the greatest of men have had,
Two arms, two hands, two legs, two eyes,
And a brain to use if you would be wise.
With this equipment they all began,
So start for the top and say "I can."
Look them over, the wise and great,
They take their food from a common plate
And similar knives and forks they use,
With similar laces they tie their shoes,
The world considers them brave and smart.
But you've all they had when they made their start.
You can triumph and come to skill,
You can be great if only you will,
You're well equipped for what fight you choose,
You have legs and arms and a brain to use,
And the man who has risen, great deeds to do
Began his life with no more than you.
You are the handicap you must face,
You are the one who must choose your place,
You must say where you want to go.
How much you will study the truth to know,
God has equipped you for life, But He
Lets you decide what you want to be.
Courage must come from the soul within,
The man must furnish the will to win,
So figure it out for yourself, my lad,
You were born with all that the great have had,
With your equipment they all began.
Get hold of yourself, and say: "I can."
** Difficult words of the poem:-
Lad:- a boy
Equipment:- The things that are needed to do a particular activity.
Knives:- a sharp flat pieles at metal with a handle.
Triumph:- a great sulcess or victony.
Courage:- mental or moral strength to venture.
Furnish:- to provide with that is needes.
Forks:- disrespect,anger.
* Introduction of poet :-
Edgar A. Guest
Edgar Albert Guest was born in 1881 in Birmingham, England. His poems often had an inspirational and optimistic view of everyday life. He published more than twenty volumes to have written over 11,000 poems. Guest has been called "the poet of the people." His career developed when in 1931 he was chosen to lead a weekly radio program called Guest in your home . His role with the production ended in 1942 but NBC picked up the promise for a television series. He was known locally to care deeply for his community. Edgar Guest died in Detroit in August of 1959 at the age of seventy-seven.
* Summary of the poem:-
STANZA 1:-
There are three couplets that challenge the “lad” to figure it out by realizing that he has all of the same “equipment” to succeed, just like the “greatest of men.”
The tone (poet’s attitude) of this poem is one of determined optimism. In the first stanza, he optimistically insists that you, we, the “lad” is quite capable. He must figure it out, use his brain, and and begin with two words: “I can.”
STANZA 2:-
He begins by telling the lad to “Look them over” and he uses anappositive (clarifying information that’s set off with a comma) to explain who “them” are.
He uses everyday examples to draw parallels between “them” and the “lad” and he uses the word “similar” twice to emphasize his point.
He also uses the conjunction “but” to to bring the “brave and smart” back to the beginning when they made their start, when they weren’t great, when they were students in school, just like the “lad.”
STANZA 3:-
“You are the handicap you face” is a metaphor that tells the student that he creates his own obstacles.
He must face his own doubts and overcome his fears.
He uses anaphora (repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines) to shift the focus to “you.” His goal is to get the individual to see himself as one who can do it. In Stanza 1, he instructed him to say it. Now, he is drilling the point that he is equipped, he is able, and he absolutely can.
STANZA 4:-
He instructs the students to get out of his own way, speak truth over his life, study hard, and believe that God has equipped him to succeed.
STANZA 5:-
He uses strong words like “courage” and “soul” and “will” to spark determination within the lad.
He repeats his opening line, “figure it out for yourself, my lad,” to remind the lad that, ultimately, he must put in the work in order to succeed.
He closes by repeating another line that places emphasis on the importance of speaking positive words to and about ourselves.
* Moral of the poem :-
Every person has to create himself. All man are created equal by God, all have the same power, by using it all can become successful in life, there is no work that cannot be done. Every work requires only courage and own strong will power. We also have everything that a successful person in the world had, so we can also become the best person by using what we have through our own skills.
